Against the backdrop of the
widespread use of chemical manure, the Nigerian government has been urged to
promote the use of organic fertilisers to produce healthy foods for local
consumption and export, as well as check environmental degradation.
An agricultural technologist,
Gregory Ohiaeri, made the call recently while taking journalists on a tour of
an organic fertiliser manufacturing facility at Odoguyan, Ikorodu, Lagos. The
facility is being operated by EarthCare Nigeria Limited.
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A bag of organic fertilizer produced by EarthCare Nigeria
Limited
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Organic fertilisers are fertilisers derived
from animal matter, animal excreta (manure), human excreta, and vegetable
matter (such as compost and crop residues). Naturally occurring organic
fertilisers include animal wastes from meat processing, peat, manure,
slurry, and guano.
He said: “Nowadays, products
exported from Africa are being rejected due to contamination, mainly from the
use of harmful chemicals. The only thing that kills people is what goes through
the mouth. So people eat this food that is produced or grown with chemical
fertiliser; and, because the plants are like humans like us, they receive those
minerals.
“These chemicals go into their
system and eventually we human beings eat the foods. And we can develop
anything; cancer and all kinds of diseases. We can have blindness and others.
This also applies to cattle that go around. Since they use inorganic fertiliser
to fertilise the grass, the cow eats it and takes the chemicals. They slaughter
the cow and we humans eat the meat.”
According to him, Earthcare Nigeria
Limited partners with the Lagos Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) in collecting
green wastes from the different markets and even abattoirs in Lagos and the
wastes are processed into organic fertiliser.
Ohiaeri, who is the company’s Chief
Operating Officer, said inorganic fertilisers not only destroy the soil but
also contaminate grasses and foods with deadly chemicals, leading to
acceleration of diseases including cancer and eye damage, which are now rampant
in the country.
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He said it was high time that the
country’s huge farming population was educated on the implications of the types
of fertilisers they use, even as there is need to give farmers fertiliser
options.
His words: “And if you compare their
produces, you will see that for the food produced with chemical fertiliser, the
leaves become weak and start to fold within few hours of harvest, while that
with organic fertiliser will stay fresh. When it comes to agriculture, the
farmers need to be trained and exposed to the best ways of farming to get
healthy final products, because food is security for a nation and if the
farmers are producing unhealthy food, the people will eat unhealthy food and
they will get sick and the nation will be weak.
“Here in Nigeria, the President has
been making the effort to support farming. But the problem is that most of the
farmers know only rely on inorganic fertiliser that is not very harmful to
health. Unfortunately, the sale and application of inorganic fertilisers is not
regulated in the country. Because of that, there are challenges. When you go to
the western world, you have specialised stores that sell organic produce and
inorganic produce, and the people have the choice to choose.
“If you use inorganic or chemical
fertiliser over a period of time, it will deplete some of the nutrients in the
soil and you have to wait for years to come back to that land. The soil will
not have the essential nutrient it needs for particular crops to flourish. And
in using chemical fertiliser, you have to apply the right quantity beyond which
causes problem to the soil. But with organic fertiliser, there is no overdose.
Organic fertiliser will also rejuvenate the soil and generate all the free
nitrogen the plant needs. And sometimes when you apply it, because of the
biological enzymes that it has, there are living organisms that would continue
to revitalise the soil. Take for instance the Ogoni oil spill; organic products
would properly revitalise the soil there.”
Ohiaeri, who said the company now
produces 200,000 metric tons of fertiliser per annum, however regretted that,
inspite of the urgent need to discontinue the use of inorganic fertiliser,
Nigerian government was yet to partner with EarthCare to make available organic
fertilisers to farmers at affordable cost.
He said: “We are the only outfit
that produce organic fertiliser in this country and government has not asked to
partner with us. Most of our patrons are coming from the private sector. For
instance, right now, we are in partnership with Nigerian breweries. They bring
their wastes, we process them and the ultimate goal is to use organic
fertiliser and help their farmers to grow the grains it uses for their beer
production.
“Most of the time, the organic
fertiliser might be a little bit on the high side. But, for people who know the
benefit of the different types, money is not the issue. The issue is their
health. I think farmers should be given an incentive. But not only incentives
but also set aside an outlet for farmers to be able to sell their produces.
“Very soon, EarthCare will come up
with EarthCare Foods as part of our long term project. What we do is engage
farmers to use Earthcare compost to farm. EarthCare Foods will buy their
produces. This will be particularly useful to those farmers in rural areas who
find it hard to market their produces. That will be employment for the people
because people want to work and get paid.
“So if government wants to make
agriculture a priority, they have to be willing to spend time and money to help
farmers. And not only help them with any fertilisers, but also give them the
option to choose. The farmer wants to make profit and your health is not of
importance to him. The bottom line is that I am going to grow crop, I don’t care
what I grow it with. What I care is let me get the proceeds quick and sell the
output.
“Right now, the company is producing
200,000 metric tons per year. That should be enough for the country and if
there is need for more products; there is always room to expand.”
By Innocent Onoh
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